How does the situation around Covid-19 affect the real estate market in Naples and Southwest Florida?
The numbers are certainly known. The USA and the state of Florida in particular, are currently “shining” with almost daily new records of cases for new infections and sadly now also with deaths.
The published figures must of course always be used with caution and viewed critically. You never really know exactly what to believe whom. There are reports that individual infection cases are systematically reported several times and then appear several times in the statistics.
And just now a story emerged about a 21-year-old “corona death” from the statistics. When asked whether he had any previous medical conditions or was somehow part of a risk group, the hospital replied that this was not the case, since the young man had ultimately died of the consequences of a motorcycle accident. This is of course only an isolated case and you do not know whether the story is correct, but it just leaves the figures in doubt.
Regardless of this, of course for us as a real estate agent in Southwest Florida the question arises as to how the situation affects the real estate market, has already had an impact, and will still have an impact. And above all, what we should advise our customers who either own a property and are wondering whether a sale makes sense, or who are considering buying a property as an investment or as a vacation home.
And the answer is not easy. As if ever any answer would be easy. But that is why we had to complete a lot of education and several exams to obtain all our licenses.
So far, the effects have not been particularly strong. Neither did the sales figures drop significantly nor did the prices fall. There was a relatively short period of breathing around April, but it was quickly over. A few transactions have been canceled because the buyers raised concerns, but others wanted a second home in beautiful Florida because of the pandemic to be flexible. There were at least temporary restrictions on the rental of vacation properties and those who had their own property had a clear advantage.
This trend continues. Since the season in Naples is actually over, quite a good amount of properties are still being sold and brought onto the market. In the past three days there have been 120 closings and 157 new listings in Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, and Marco Island.
And what do you advise your customers and prospects? This is even more difficult and depends entirely on the individual case, on the wishes, goals, and ideas. It is best to find this out in an individual consultation together. In general, however, you can say that it makes the most sense not to let yourself be unsettled and either approach the sale as planned or pursue a purchase request. There are many possibilities to view virtually, to market virtually and to handle almost the entire transaction virtually. Here we can certainly help you do the right thing.
Just give us a call, send us an email, or try it right away via WhatsApp, then we can practice. We did a lot of WhatsApp and Facetime visits in the spring and sold real estate in this way. Of course we can still sell Real Estate the traditional way. In that case we will make sure to protect all parties by strictly following the CDC guidelines. Not only is proper sanitizing and frequently washing hands a must, we will always wear facemasks and keep the requested social distance. Driving in separate cars for a showing tour and having hand-sanitizers available is a matter of course.